Belief in public well being officers declined over the course of the pandemic, significantly amongst Republicans. Over the course of the pandemic, KFF polling has discovered a decline in belief of public well being officers – most notably amongst Republicans. In 2022, majorities of Democrats continued to say they’ve not less than a good quantity of belief within the CDC, the FDA, and Dr. Fauci, whereas lower than half of Republicans had the identical degree of belief in public officers as they did firstly of the pandemic.
Confusion and perception in misinformation about COVID-19 is frequent. Misinformation about well being care matters is nothing new, however social media, the polarization of stories sources, and the tempo of scientific growth on COVID-19 all contributed to an setting that made it simpler than ever for misinformation and deliberate disinformation to unfold. In late 2021, almost eight in ten adults mentioned they’d heard not less than certainly one of eight totally different false statements about COVID-19 and that they believed it to be true or had been uncertain if it was true or false. Unvaccinated adults had been extra more likely to report believing COVID misinformation than those that are vaccinated.
Early gaps in COVID-19 vaccination charges between Black, Hispanic, and White adults had been largely eradicated by the top of 2021. When COVID-19 vaccines first turned publicly accessible in early 2021, Black and Hispanic adults had been much less seemingly than White adults to report being vaccinated. This hole mirrored each distinction in vaccine entry, comparable to not having paid break day work to get vaccinated or not having a trusted place to get the vaccine, in addition to issues and questions on vaccine security and uncomfortable side effects. Over time, as public well being officers and neighborhood teams labored to offer entry and provide solutions to folks’s questions, this hole narrowed and finally closed. Latest surveys discover that the share of Black and Hispanic adults who report being vaccinated is roughly equal to the share amongst White adults. Actually, the share of White adults who say they’ll “undoubtedly not” get vaccinated has been greater than the shares amongst Black and Hispanic adults in most up-to-date polls.
Partisanship performed a powerful position in self-reported public well being behaviors. For the reason that starting of the pandemic, KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor surveys have discovered a powerful relationship between partisanship and folks’s willingness to take preventive actions to guard themselves and others from COVID-19. Democrats have been constantly extra seemingly than Republicans to report sporting masks, social distancing, and getting vaccinated for COVID-19. Immunocompromised folks, no matter partisanship, are additionally among the many teams most definitely to report taking precautions.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had broad impacts past well being. The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on adults and youngsters during the last three years. Whether or not it involves their training, work, funds, psychological or bodily well being, many – no matter race, ethnicity and revenue – have reported feeling the destructive results of the pandemic. Dad and mom are significantly more likely to say their youngsters have been negatively affected, with greater than six in ten saying the pandemic has had a destructive impact on their youngsters’s training and almost as many saying the identical about their youngsters’s psychological well being. About half of all adults say that the pandemic has had a destructive impact on their very own psychological well being, whereas 4 in ten say the identical about their bodily well being and their monetary scenario.
